1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for differential compression for incremental file updates and other applications.
2. Description of the Background Art
A problem in the field of computing is the need to update computer files on various disparate computers. The updating may be done, for example, by downloading a complete new version of the file or by an incremental update in which modifying data (i.e., the difference) for modifying the existing file to form the updated version is downloaded. For example, a software update may be required because the program has altered in response to the occurrence of bugs within the program or to add additional functionality to a program.
In another example, frequent computer file updates may be needed when the computer file represents rapidly evolving data needed by the computer. For instance, anti-virus computer programs generally utilize computer virus definition (signature) data which needs to be updated frequently to provide protection against new viruses. In addition, data leakage prevention programs use document fingerprints which also need to be updated.
It is highly desirable to improve techniques which facilitate differential compression for incremental file updates and other applications.